Bicycles Network Australia » Bike Camerahttp://www.bicycles.net.au
The Top Australian Cycling PortalMon, 30 Mar 2015 22:18:26 +0000en-UShourly1Review – New Fly6 and the Fly12 sneak peekhttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/02/review-new-fly6-and-the-fly12-sneak-peak/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/02/review-new-fly6-and-the-fly12-sneak-peak/#commentsThu, 05 Feb 2015 23:22:59 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=13154The Fly6 has captured the hearts of cyclists across the globe and has produced some incredible on-bike video footage over the past year. Rather than just relaxing and enjoying their success, the Western Australian inventors have continued to develop their product and, in November 2014, launched the redesigned Fly6 while simultaneously announcing Cycliq as their new company name. Now they are just about to launch the Fly12 front light with integrated camera on Kickstarter.

If you don’t know much about the Fly6, start with our review of the original product which we classified as a safety camera, not a sports action camera. I was surprised at the speed in which the Fly6 was upgraded and asked Cycliq CEO, Andrew Hagen, about the the motivation to move fast.

“We had identified a number of areas we thought we could improve on from customer feedback on Fly6 Original and while on a trip to China & Hong Kong we found a new factory with experience in high quality camera based products. We discussed Fly6 with them and found they could make many of the improvements we were looking for. They were very efficient and were able to bring the new Fly6 model to production much faster than we could have imagined. The result was what might seem to our customers as fast turn around.”

At first glance the new Fly6 is very similar to its predecessor; it retains the rubber strap mounts (with aero seatpost compatibility), features a camera with rotating LED lights, and has the bright LEDs you expect of a rear bicycle light. It has retained the two buttons (on/off and light mode) as well as the micro SD card for storing the video footage. The new Fly6 is smaller in height than its predecessor, however, shaving 2 centimeters off and bringing it down to 8.5cm tall.

Aside from the height reduction, the other obvious change is that the USB and micro SD card slots have been moved from underneath the unit to the side of the unit, and the USB port on the new Fly6 is the more compact mini-USB version.

Beneath the surface, the main technical improvements are brighter lights, louder audio signals, and a longer run time of up to 6 hours. The video resolution, however, has remained at 1280×720, and I queried Andrew Hagen on this. While the Fly6 is not a sports action cam, isn’t it possible to increase the resolution?

“Part of the fast turn around was based on keeping many of the principles of Fly6 Original but applying better quality components and a higher quality manufacturing process. As such, the 720 resolution was retained however, part of the improvements for the new Fly6 included a higher quality camera module and sensor (which is why the FOV went from 130 to 100 degrees). In addition, we changed the way the device was assembled from a three part over-moulded front cover (which had a tendency to create undetectable distortions in the lens) to a two part front cover joined together through ultrasonic bonding (which does not distort the optically correct lens).

“With the new module, sensor and lens bonding process, the result is much clearer footage without the wasted fish-eyed effect on the edge. We would like to move up to 1080 but it requires a complete re-design which we don’t have the capacity to do at the moment.”

But before releasing the new camera, part of the research and development for Cycliq was testing prototypes. I was fortunate to be involved in the early prototype testing and providing product feedback. But did the feedback from the testers made its way onto the new Fly6? Mr Hagen comments, “With the new Fly6 testing, we backed off on the number of testers from 150 to around 25-30. This gave us much better and more concise feedback. Our new factory is much more responsive to changes and the result was from our weekly surveys that a number of both hardware and software suggestions were able to be implemented.

“One of our testers in particular suggested a couple of hardware changes that were implemented in the next prototype and he couldn’t believe how his words turned into physical changes in just a few weeks. Even without testing groups we get suggestions all the time and they are great to hear, however people expect most of them to be just a ‘firmware’ modification and don’t understand how difficult even a seemingly simple change can be to do.”

So how did the new Fly6 perform?

Before prototype testing, I was using the original Fly6 permanently, so when the next generation (new) Fly6 arrived, it was business as usual, performing as I expected. I noticed that the beeps were louder, but I still didn’t hear beeps while riding. In practice, the camera will only beep if it is about to stop recording or run out of battery, for me the road noise is too loud so it is worthwhile ensuring that the unit is charged.

The lights are certainly brighter, though for summer riding I tend to dim my lights below the brightest settings. In winter, for dark, early morning rides I will revert to brighter settings to maximise my visibility, however for bunch riding it is worth showing consideration for others in the group and dimming the bike light accordingly.

The following video demonstrates the light settings.

I used the aero seat-tube adapter to allow me to mount the bike light and camera on my road bike. One observation was that the further down the seat post I mounted the Fly6 camera, the more stable the footage. During testing, when running two cameras on the same seat post (my jersey pockets were stuffed with the contents of my saddle bag), the top camera always seemed to be more susceptible to movement, although the original fly6 handled it better.

Looking at the technology, the mini USB port is convenient and it is setup to allow the Fly6 to mount directly onto the desktop of my mac. For the mac, I traditionally used VLC for non-standard file formats (and on Apple Mac, .AVI is non-standard). MPlayerX was recommended by Cycliq and is a much more stable option for playing the .avi files on the mac. Editing .avi files on a Mac is difficult, so the files need to be converted, and SmartConverter is a good software solution which easily converts the .avi to the Mac friendly quicktime. Speaking of software, SDFormatter is a must-have. From time-to-time, or if there are recording issues, SDFormatter is useful for wiping the micro SD card.

There is also an on-board formatting option, the camera uses an editable config.txt file which allows you to set the date and time so that it is recorded directly onto the video footage (a very useful feature). The config.txt file can also be modified to instruct the camera to self-format. Here are the formatting instructions from the Cycliq Support Site.

Recording and Numberplate recognition

While there are spectacular videos on the Cycliq website of bike riders stacking and crashing, the role of the Fly6 camera is to help protect the bike rider and this means recording vehicle number plates in the case of an accident or a reportable driving offence. [There is a fierce debate among cyclists discussing which infringements are reportable, this is best tackled in the Australian Cycling Forums]. Put simply, the video data (evidence) and number plate recognition is what it is all about.

In the review of the original Fly6 it became obvious that the closer a vehicle passed, the easier it was to recognise the number plate. The new Fly6 appears to provide clearer number plate recognition towards the edges. The ability to recognise number plates. however, will always be affected by the light conditions, so poor light conditions such as darkness, glare, strong contrasts, and even rain will make it harder to read the number plates. Vehicle proximity and speed will also affect the ability to read however when it matters, the chances are than enough information is available to identify the vehicle.

But there are two key points on the number plate recognition, firstly a motor vehicle driving dangerously, or who hits you, is likely to be closer to you, so you have a better change to identify the vehicle. Secondly, reviewing the video footage and shuffling through the footage or watching frame-by-frame can aid you in identifying the number plate.

Keep in mind that for some incidents, the motorist may already be identified, so the video footage gives the authorities supporting evidence. In an incident where I was verbally abused by P-Plater hoons, I shouted out the number plate and the Fly6 recorded this audio.

Video Quality

The comparison video relied upon mounting both cameras on the seat post, one on top of the other. With this approach, the top camera suffered more vibration.

The comparison of the original Fly6 and the new Fly6 reveals:
• The new Fly6 has a smaller viewing angle of 100° compared with 130° for the original.
• The video footage for the new Fly6 appears to have deeper contrast and a green tinge
• The audio recoding for the new Fly6 is louder

It is difficult to compare the number plate recognition, however I didn’t perceive a substantial difference in quality with the new Fly6. Video changes are subtle, though the unit as a whole has proven itself as a permanent accessory for my riding.

One issue I experienced was a broken rubber mounting strap. To suit different sized seat posts, the mounting solution needs to be flexible, so while the rubber straps are flexible in this respect, they can easily break when over-stretched.

On the horizon for Fly

The Fly6 has proven itself popular, and almost immediately after being released people were asking for a front light version, possibly a ‘Fly12′, a name suggested by members in the Australian Cycling Forums many months ago. Recently the Fly12, as suspected, a front light with integrated camera to compliment the Fly6, was announced.

Andrew Hagen provided feedback on these next steps, “As you know the name Fly6 means a Fly on the wall watching your back (or 6 o’clock) and the front solution will of course be called Fly12 as it is still a fly on the wall but now it is facing forward (towards your 12 o’clock). It didn’t take long for people to start asking us about Fly12 and the BNA forums are no different – in fact there was quite some chatter about what features it should have. Quite the crowd design studio you have there!”

“In reality, we thought of Fly12 three years ago when we thought of Fly6. It was just that we decided to develop Fly6 first given there were a number of camera solutions at the time people were using for the front of the bike. We have only now had the time and resources to focus on Fly12. What to expect? Well, without giving too much away we have decided to do a Kickstarter campaign for Fly12 early this year. We found it was a great way of getting people involved in the process of bringing a product to life. In terms of the device itself – we have recently got our first prototype and to say that I am a little excited is a massive understatement! Some people say the design of Fly6 is “a bit retro” and I can’t really disagree with them but if Fly6 is retro then Fly12 is going to be very current’!”

The Fly6 Verdict

The new Fly6 has received an all-round update, although original Fly6 owners don’t need to upgrade yet. The new unit is a little more convenient and a little more refined, plus the six hour battery run time makes it more practical for long distance cycling. The improvements in video quality are not as substantial as anticipated, but spot-tests to recognise number plates show that this will help with incident capture and number plate recognition.

The looped recording feature and ‘crash protection’ features mean that the Fly6 is still unique and indispensable.

Fly6 is available in bicycle shops across Australia (distributor Jet Black) or is available online directly from Cycliq for $275 (plus postage) and comes with an 8GB micro SD card, cable, and mount.

BNA Fly6 Giveaway

Cycliq have kindly provided a Fly6 to give away to a BNA reader – simply comment below answering the question; if you won a Fly6, how would you celebrate?

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2015/02/review-new-fly6-and-the-fly12-sneak-peak/feed/79Fly6 launch a new light and a new brand – Cycliqhttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/11/fly6-launch-a-new-light-and-a-new-brand-cycliq/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/11/fly6-launch-a-new-light-and-a-new-brand-cycliq/#commentsTue, 18 Nov 2014 11:53:05 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=12780When the revolutionary Fly6 bike light with integrated camera was launched on crowd funding portal KickStarter, it attracted over $260,000 in funding, almost three times the $95,000 goal. After delivering all of the cameras to early adopters across the world, the Western Australian team behind the Fly6 have moved straight onto the next version. It was not the Fly12, a complimentary front light and camera version (as speculated in the Australian Cycling Forums), rather it was, and now is, the next generation Fly6, which has slimmed down and promises improvements.

On top of the new light announcement, there is more big news: Cycliq is now the brand behind the Fly6 and officially launches to the public today. This suggests future expansion beyond the Fly6, and perhaps the dreams of the cycling community for an integrated front light and camera will soon become a reality.

The new version of Fly6 has been in trials for months and BNA has also taken part in testing prototypes. I’ll only briefly cover the features here, but a complete review is in the works.

Side-by-side, the new and the original Fly6

Access to the mini USB port and Micro SD card moves to the side

If you are new to this lighting concept, you can read the BNA review of the original light here: Fly6, not an action camera, a safety camera. The obvious change with the new camera is that it loses about 2 centimeters in height, and is now down to 8.5 cm high. Though smaller, it puts on 8 grams and weighs 116 g (excl. clips, straps, etc.)

The Micro SD card slot and USB cable ports are now on the side and sealed with a more elegant cover. The cover is a little trickier to open, however, and conceals a (now smaller) micro USB port and the Micro SD slot.

The Fly6 retains the .avi format, which is better suited to PC’s, and 1280 x 720 (720p) resolution, though it boasts a higher quality camera to provide a richer video quality. The new Fly6 also has brighter rear lights up to 30 Lumens. The following short video demonstrates the light sequence and dimming.

Is it really a better product?A comprehensive trial of the final production version will be able to answer this question, but until then only preliminary observations can be shared.

If you have the original Fly6, the overall concept and functionality remains the same. For cyclists with low-set seat posts and limited real-estate, it still may be a tight fit.

The clips and mounting remains the same, including the wedge so that it can fit on aero seat tubes. Two extra rubber straps are included for good measure. The buttons to turn the camera on and switch the light mode are nicer with clear tactile feedback and, overall, the light has been constructed well.

Fly6 CEO, Andrew Hagen explained that the video camera field of view has been reduced from 120 degrees to 100 degrees while the camera quality improved for better legibility of number plates, particularly towards the edges.

If you are keen on our unbiased and comprehensive review, sign up to the BNA newsletter.

The new Fly6 is priced at $275 (AUD) plus $15 shipping. Cycliq have announced an Australian distributer, Jet Black, who will ensure that the FLy6 is available from local bike shops. It will be available soon in-store at RRP $275. Further information and specifications are online: www.cycliq.com

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/11/fly6-launch-a-new-light-and-a-new-brand-cycliq/feed/9Dramatically Improve Your On-Bike Action Cam Footagehttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/03/dramatically-improve-your-on-bike-action-cam-footage/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/03/dramatically-improve-your-on-bike-action-cam-footage/#commentsSat, 01 Mar 2014 03:00:55 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=10126A lot can go wrong when you’re capturing great action cam footage on your bike that will ruin all of the fun. The footage can “go missing”, become corrupt, get distorted, or be so wobbly that you think you are stuck in a blender watching the outside world. I have experienced all of these disasters and more since getting my first action cam, the GoPro Hero1. I have however been able to eliminate or minimise most of the problems and will share the tips and tricks I’ve learned to help you get better footage on the bike.

Missing or Corrupt Footage
This is one of the hardest problems to resolve but you will minimise the chances of this happening if you make sure that you have a quality Class 10 SD or Micro SD card for high resolution filming. Memory cards with a lower speed rating may be too slow to record higher video resolutions. This may cause the camera to drop frames or even stop recording and damage any existing footage.

A Kingston 16 GB SD card, a SanDisk Ultra Micro SD card and an adapter for the Micro SD card

It goes without saying that the memory card also needs to be large enough to capture for the duration over which you are filming and the camera needs to have sufficient battery life.

A frequent problem with missing footage is simply forgetting to record or pressing the wrong buttons. The default GoPro settings have caused me a lot of anguish when it accidentally switches from film mode into photo mode, so it can be worth changing the settings to start recording automatically when the camera is turned on. Other brand cameras, such as Sony or Contour, offer a one button/switch recording function.

To minimise these problems, read the manual, set up the camera, and then develop a routine of formatting the memory card, charging the camera, and checking the settings before recording. If you are recording action footage that you can’t afford to lose, review it and, when possible, back it up on location to ensure that it is safe.

Foggy Footage
Hard cases for camera are fantastic for protecting against damage and water, but as the camera heats up it can cause condensation to build up inside the camera where it often builds up on the inside of the lens. Changing temperatures can accelerate or intensify the effects of condensation and, when that Vaseline ‘wedding photo’ look with the blurred edges creeps over to engulf the entire scene, then you can throw the footage away.

Perfect conditions, but the video is ruined by fog

The easiest solution is to film without the closed waterproof case, but for biking this often isn’t practical as the camera has to be mounted and usually requires the case to mount. The Drift Ghost, Garmin Virb, ContourRoam and brand new Sony (AS100V) camera are waterproof without a case, whereas the Contour+2, GoPro, and Sony (AS30V and AS15) cams require a case. Older GoPro cameras were delivered with an additional ‘open’ door with holes and this fixed the fogging problem. To get the best of both worlds, I would stick strips of Gaffer tape onto the outside of the case which I could then move and temporarily cover the holes if there was an unexpected downfall.

Emergency Gaffer tape to seal the holes in the ‘open’ door in case of rain

The new GoPro cameras have a ‘skeleton’ case as an optional accessory and, while fogging isn’t as bad, it still happens. Fogging was, and is, a serious issue with the new and original Sony Action Cams. There is no ‘open case’ option, unless you’re using a helmet mounted strap which doesn’t use the closed waterproof case. To try and eliminate the fogging issue, I tried two techniques: firstly, using a hair dryer to evaporate any moisture and secondly, anti-fog spray which is applied to the inside of the lens of the camera case. Neither are effective, and anti-fog spray is difficult to use as it forms a thin film on the inside of the lens which can also distort the video footage.

The most effective anti-fog solution I have tested, and one that works on all cameras, is anti-fog inserts. While they are not cheap, they can usually be reused, and simply baking them in the oven or microwave for a very short time dries them.

Anti-Fog inserts were required for the Sony Action Cams to eliminate fogging.

Cleaning up your act
Greasy fingerprints on the camera lens, or the lens of the case, are just as bad as dust spots or road and trail grime. The camera lens, and the waterproof cover lens (inside and out), needs to be spotless and it is worth getting a small sunglass cleaning cloth for this purpose. Train yourself to keep your fingers away from the lens and this makes it easier to polish after or prior to each ride.

The dirty lens of an original GoPro Hero1

Most sports action cameras unfortunately don’t come with a lens cap, which is unusual considering SLR and compact cameras either have a lens cap or a protective shutter when it is not in action. A consolation is that the protective lens on the waterproof case for some brands is replaceable which is cheaper to replace than an entire new case if you do scratch it.

I’m all shook up!
Up until now, even if you have done everything right, if you are not mounting the camera properly, the video could turn out unpleasant or un-watchable.

The easiest solution to get smooth footage is to not mount your camera on your bike. A helmet mount will immediately improve the fluidity of your footage as your body absorbs the bumps. The downsides of this are that helmet mount makes you look like a dork, you have the extra weight of the camera on your helmet, and if you like to look around then the video will follow you and swing left and right, up and down. The long thin format of Contour and Sony cameras are better suited to mounting on the side of your helmet.

Chest mounts are an alternative that save you from carrying the extra weight away from your head, and also reduces the amount of movement in the footage (due to your natural head movements). The chest offers a lower vantage point and will include your arms and front of the bike in the field of view. This perspective is fascinating to watch for mountain biking with the front suspension pumping up and down.

A bike mounted camera is by far the most convenient mounting option, but is also the most susceptible to vibration and movement. The first step to reduce this problem is to toss out the plastic mount that came with the camera. Get some cable ties, some super glue, and some foam, and mock a mount up yourself, or use a K-Edge mount, which is CNC machined from aluminium, which is the best solution I have found so far.

The K-Edge
K-Edge produce handlebar and saddle mounts that fit the GoPro style camera mounts as well as cameras with a ‘camera screw thread’ (Universal 1/4-20 UNC thread) which is used by the Sony Action Cams (you may be familiar with this screw-in type mount on SLR cameras or compact digital cameras).

A small section from an old inner tube will protect your handlebar

When attaching the K-Edge handlebar mounts, I usually take a small strip of rubber from an old inner tube and use this to protect the handlebar and provide a slight dampener before tightening the K-Edge mount and attaching the camera. You need to ensure that the screws are tight and there is no movement. On a side note, while the handlebar mounts are built for 31.8mm diameter handlebars, if you have a smaller diameter handlebar it is possible to pad it out.

The aluminium mount eliminates the vibration and flex that is responsible for the rolling shutter/jello effect. For rough terrain, the footage may be harsh and every bump that travels up your fork and through the handlebars will be noticed, but this is still far better than distorted video. Footage captured from behind using the saddle mount is generally a little more stable than the front since the weight of your body reduces the amount of vibration that travels up the seatpost in comparison to the front forks and handlebars.

I have two gripes with the K-Edge. Firstly, it is pricey – after purchasing a $400 – $500 camera, and perhaps a few accessories, paying an extra $50 – $70 for a mount is asking a lot. I bit the bullet and got both a front and rear mount and, after seeing the results, I recognised that it was money well spent.

The hex bolt in the old version K-Edge mounts was prone to wear

The second issue was the 3mm Allen key (hex) bolts used for GoPro style cameras; they are inferior and easily wear. The current models, however, appear to have new bolts and are hopefully more durable. The camera screw thread version is quite nifty; the camera is first fastened by hand (by turning the dial) and then a larger 5mm Allen key is used to really tighten the screw. When it is not in use, a nicely integrated rubber o-ring ensures that thumb-screw doesn’t fall out. Nice!

The K-Edge mounts are purpose built, so they mount very well. With the saddle mount, you wont be able to carry a saddle bag, and with the front mount you may have issues with brake and gear cables getting in the way. I prefer the GO BIG “Pro” version of the mount which extends the camera forward to clear the cables.

Make sure that you mount your camera below the handlebar. Not only is the camera tucked away and the space around your handlebars clear, in the case of an accident the camera is better protected. GoPro cameras can be easily adjusted to film up-side-down, but the original Sony camera (HD-AS15) couldn’t, so footage needed to be rotated on your computer.

In Australia the K-Edge mounts are imported by De Grandi and are available from retailers across the country.

The Cinematic ExperienceThere are other ways to improve your footage. Simply lowering your tyre pressure will reduce the amount of vibration transported through your bike. There are limits to this, and the road or trail surface will still impact the quality, but it is a simple and effective option.

Current generation cameras often have a video stabilisation option and I recommending testing this option before a big filming run. Stabilisation may be able to take away the tiny bumps and improve the fluidity, but may come at the cost of a slightly lower video quality. For higher quality video production, some video editing tools also have stabilising options and can be easily tested. In my experience, YouTube’s video stabilisation is rubbish for bike video and will further degrade the overall quality. If you are producing high quality video, you might want to look to Vimeo which has garnered a reputation for professional videos.

If you have aspirations for breath-taking action video, you should start exploring different mounting options on the bike and off the bike. Even before you introduce expensive digital SLRs to take your movie making to the next level, the sports action camera, when setup properly will give you a lot of bang for your buck.

Chosing the right camera is a different story, for now, this is an unsorted list with web links of the major players along with the name of their current top model action camera:Sony: Sony Action Cam HDR-AS100VRGoPro: GoPro Hero3+ BlackContour: Contour+2Drift Innovation: Drift Ghost-SBlackVue: BlackView Sport SC500Rollei: Rollei S-50 Nitro CircusJVC: JVC Adixxion GC-XA2Garmin: Garmin Virb EliteION: ION Air 3 Wifi
Shimano: Shimano Sport Camera CM-1000Polaroid: Polarois XS80 HD

There is a lot of cheap junk and look-alike cameras on the market so take tike to check the specifications.

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/03/dramatically-improve-your-on-bike-action-cam-footage/feed/10Fly6, not an action camera, a safety camerahttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/fly6-not-an-action-camera-a-safety-camera/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/fly6-not-an-action-camera-a-safety-camera/#commentsTue, 18 Feb 2014 23:41:03 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=10080The Fly6 is not yet on the market, but it has already become a roaring success. The Australian inventors, Andrew Hagen and Kingsley Feigert, took the Fly6 to the crowd funding platform Kickstarter to raise $95,000 to get this into production. Within hours their ‘super early bird’ pledge was sold out and after only three days it was funded; they are currently up to $170,000 in funding and still counting.

What makes the Fly6 so special? For starters it’s a really good idea: a compact camera mounted into an LED taillight for your bike. Thankfully this camera has been well thought through and doesn’t try to compete against the growing range of sports action cameras such as GoPro, Sony Action Cam, Contour, Ghost Drift, Garmin, or Shimano.

So why use a camera on the bike if your aim isn’t to capture radical footage and spend hours watching your archived rides? As a safety backup of course. In the case of an accident, you have video footage that can be used as evidence. While very little can be done by the Police if there is an incident without a collision, in the unfortunate event of a collision the video footage can be crucial in backing up your side of the story. Most cyclists who want to capture their ride for the purpose of safety, however, will default to a sports action camera which typically faces forward and, with high resolution filming, you are lucky to get 2 hours recording time. This is not optimal for a safety camera.

The inventors, both from Perth in Western Australia, decided that filming the view behind you was the way to go with their design, and that makes a good deal of sense. Incorporating a camera into a single unit together with a bright flashing light also makes a good deal of sense. Continuing with the theme of good sense, the camera records 5 hours of footage and then loops, writing over previous footage. This means you don’t need to download and wipe the footage after every ride, and it means you won’t forget. Of course, if there is an accident, the camera includes a mechanism that will turn the unit off after an hour if it is laying on its side, so critical data isn’t lost. The camera is a set-and-forget type of product – just recharge it as you normally would with many of the current generation rear bike lights, strap it on, turn it on, and that’s it.

The Fly6 unit is heavier and bulkier than a regular rear LED bike light. It isn’t cumbersome, however, and the space appears to be used quite well with the face containing one very bright flashing LED, three softer LEDs and, surrounding the integrated camera, a circle of 8 LEDs which ‘spin’ around to signify that the camera is recording. There are two flashing sequences and the intensity of the flashing lights can be dimmed to the point where only the spinning lights (for recording) are illuminated which will suit bunch riding.

The recording resolution is 720p (1280 x 720 pixels = HD); the inventors decided on this rather than 1080p full HD in order to kept the price down. The resulting video is still sufficiently detailed to be able to decipher most vehicle number plates (more about this below). The camera comes with an 8GB Micro SD card which can be upgraded to a larger (class 10) Micro SD card if desired. Recharging is done either with the power adapter (provided) or a USB cable. At the base of the unit the silicon cap protects the connector for the USB port and also the micro SD card.

On a full charge I was able to achieve the claimed 5 hour recording time. One of the unit’s features is that it will stop recording after about 5 hours, when the battery has drained, but while it still has enough charge to power the lights and hopefully get you home.

This camera appears to be targeted towards road cyclists and it comes with a range of mounts that will even accommodate aero seat tubes, which are often neglected by many rear LED light manufacturers. In additional, this camera comes with different sized rubber ‘wedges’ for the initial setup of the mount that will ensure that the camera can be mounted appropriately regardless of the seat post angle.

Once this basic setup is complete, the camera and light unit locks onto the mount with two rubber straps that wrap around the seat post to fasten the Fly6 in place. I felt that this could possibly introduce vibration and affect the quality of the video footage, but the results were in fact good and shutter roll (jello effect) was minimal.

The Fly6 camera records in .avi format, a format that has some limitations, particularly on the mac. While VLC Player or DivX player can read and play the .avi format, the play and pause didn’t work very well, nor did shuffling (or jogging) through the footage to stop at a particular keyframe. The .avi video was difficult to convert on mac without a serious impact on the footage quality. On Windows, .avi will be easier to work with and edit. Although the Fly6 isn’t masquerading as a sports action cam, the ability to more easily use the video footage would be welcomed as this would make it easier to share shortened sequences.

The footage quality for the legibility of number plates is, in my opinion, the deciding factor for the Fly6, and I was able to decipher almost all of the number plates I recorded. Difficult light conditions, such as direct sunlight or even rain, will make it harder, but most cameras will have issues in these circumstances. If you consider a scenario where you really needed to identify a vehicle, the make and model will be comparatively easy to determine, and picking out just a few characters of the number plate should provide sufficient information for the authorities to make an identification.

In this example, the video-still is scaled and the number plate is displayed in the original size. The vehicle number plates are displayed as unordered series of screen-shots from different key frames. As an example of one of the more difficult-to-read number plates, the characters can still be identified when required. For the record, this vehicle and numberplate has been selected purely for demonstration.

In this second example, the motorist was in fact naughty (not aware of the safe passing distance required) and edged me over while overtaking. The large bright numberplate and favourable light conditions made the numberplate identification simple. The ‘original size’ numberplate is displayed in the top right while the screen-shots have been scaled to fit. The time stamp imprinted on the video is an important and useful addition although I had not set successfully setup the correct time in this example.

Other candidates who were testing a pre-production unit have pinpointed the issue of low seat posts which provided limited or no space to mount the Fly6, particularly if a saddle bag obscures the view. While this can’t be easily resolved, if you are a low-rider then keep this in mind.

After returning from a rainy ride, I noticed that some water had leaked past the silicon cap. Although a droplet was on the Micro SD card, I was able to clean it off and let it dry without any adverse effect. This is something I will keep an eye on.

While higher quality footage and improved details would be desirable, it would come at a cost. When the Fly6 goes to market in May this year it will have a very accessible retail price of $169. If you get involved and support the Fly6 kickstarter project, they still have ‘pledges’ for less than this, currently $129 (plus $10 shipping).

Further information about this product and video examples are on the website: www.fly6.com

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/fly6-not-an-action-camera-a-safety-camera/feed/15A New Point of View – Sony Action Camhttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/a-new-point-of-view-sony-action-cam-hdr-as30v-bike-camera/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/a-new-point-of-view-sony-action-cam-hdr-as30v-bike-camera/#commentsTue, 11 Feb 2014 21:47:07 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=9983Sony boldly entered into the sports action camera market in 2012, taking on the market leader Go Pro and making some headway in a very competitive market. A year has now passed and Sony have released a new camera which BNA got a chance to compare against GoPro as well as against their original camera. We really wanted to see whether the “action” in the Action Cam includes cycling.

Before you go on with this review, it is worth reading the review of the original Sony Action Cam since we are cutting straight to the chase with the new camera and concentrating on the new features and the differences between old and new. This also means focusing on features that are more likely to be used by bike riders; options such as single image capture, image bursts or even the underwater video mode won’t addressed.

The orginal Sony Action Cam HDR-AS15 above and new HDR-AS30V below

Aside from some different graphics and labels, the new HDR-AS30V looks and feels the same as its predecessor the HDR-AS15. The camera design and weight are identical, though the battery is no longer inserted using a removable ‘holder’, instead it pops straight in and is easily removed. The micro SD card slot and other cable ports, which are accessible at the bottom of the camera, are the same.

The new camera (left) has a nicer battery compartment

The orginal Sony Action Cam (top) requires the battery to be placed in a ‘holder’.

One of the most notable additions of this new camera is an increase from 30 frames per second (fps) to 60 fps for capturing 1080p Full-HD (1920×1080). There is now also GPS functionality to receive and record your location while travelling. Additionally, Sony incorporate a more advanced (and simpler to use) technology to connect with smart devices. Trialing both the original and the new Sony Action Cameras side-by-side revealed features and improvements that really stood out:

Connecting with WiFi and NFC PairingWiFi is a must on a modern sports camera, but it also tends to be a pain, or so I thought. In my experience a lot of patience and trial and error is required to successfully ‘pair’ a smart phone (or tablet) with an action cam, the original Sony Action Cam was no different. For the new Sony I downloaded and opened the Sony “Play Memories” app on my iPhone4 (iOS version / Android version). On the camera I turned on the WiFi setting and then on the phone I selected the camera wireless network, gave it the password and bingo… I was in. It immediately showed a live stream video… wow.

I was impressed by this and if you have a smart phone the NFC (Near Field Communication) capability connecting is even easier. For compatible smart devices (which excludes all Apple iPhones) Sony promote the super easy ‘tap and use’ functionality “This feature allows you to pair your camera with your NFC-equipped phone via WiFi with ‘One Touch’, enabling you to use your smartphone as a remote control and viewfinder quickly and easily.” Apparently it’s the only action camera with this capability. The apps controls are straight forward; the modes can be changed along with basic settings such as video resolution, steady shot, and angle (120 or 170 degrees). While recording there is a live video stream and a facility to swap files with a USB connected device via the smart phone.

SteadyShotThis is a feature I neglected with the first Sony Action Cam as I couldn’t do a direct comparison, but this time around I was able to line up the old and new camera with identical settings, one with SteadyShot on while the other had SteadyShot off. SteadyShot takes out or smooths the small bumps while recording, and the footage becomes more fluid. The improvement is first apparent in the direct comparison. The catch is a marginal drop in the level of detail in the video, so budding filmmakers should test both options first – I personally preferred recording with the SteadyShot on as the footage was nicer to watch.

For capturing great footage, the ‘camera mount’ is a crucial part of the equation so I left the plastic Sony camera mount (an accessory for bikes) in the box and went straight for an aluminium K-Edge mount instead. The K-Edge mounts are now available with a ‘camera screw thread’ (1/4-20 UNC threads) option which Sony incorporates instead of the GoPro style mount.

Waterproof CaseThe single most significant improvement for daily use is the waterproof case: – It is smaller and more compact – The door no longer fell off accidentally as the hinge has been improved (i.e fixed). – All of the buttons could be accessed without opening the case. The waterproof case is simply awesome because it has solved all of the problems I faced with Sony’s original waterproof case, but it retained the excellent ‘yellow latch’ mechanism for securely closing and easily opening.

That said, fogging was an issue and both the original and new cameras started showing signs of condensation build-up inside the lens, which of course ruins the video. Neither an air dryer (to dry up condensation) nor anti-fog spray were able to improve this, so Sony provided anti-fog inserts which immediately solved this problem. These inserts are simply a must. Of course this camera can be also mounted on a hard-shell helmet with the head mount accessory, although I find mounting on the bike using the solid waterproof mount infinitely more practical.

Bits and piecesRemember the days of home video and handheld camcorders? Sony have resurrected the good old times and offer an accessory for the action camera which turns it into a camcorder. While this wasn’t very practical for my purposes, this accessory has an LCD screen and may appeal to sports action film makers for capturing handheld video.

The camera comes with the waterproof case and the camcorder case with LCD as an accessory

One issue with the Sony is knowing which way to insert the micro SD card; it isn’t as obvious as it should be. On one occasion, although the card was correctly inserted, the camera wouldn’t recognise the card which left me swapping cards and wondering what was going on. I asked Sony about this and discovered that my particular card, the SanDisk Ultra Micro SD card was known to have compatibility issues. During the review, I usually recorded at 1980 x 1080 resolution (1080p Full HD) with 30 fps and got an average battery life of about 110 minutes. Recording at lower settings such as 720p significantly increased the recording time. As expected, with GPS and WiFi on, the battery life is reduced. In comparison, the GoPro Hero 3 Black with identical settings has a battery life of 90 minutes.

New and Improved?
I recorded and reviewed over 100 GB of footage directly comparing the old and new camera and admit that I originally found the footage from the older camera more attractive. But that bothered me because newer is meant to be better. The older camera simply has much more colour saturation, however reviewing the full-screen footage side by side showed that the new camera has more realistic colour handling. On the original Sony Action Cam, the skies were bluer than blue skies and the vegetation greener than green vegetation. This made the realistic colours of the new Sony appear dull in contrast.

A subtle improvement of the new camera is better image quality, though this was very hard to detect. By comparing synchronised fast moving full screen footage from both cameras, the video from the original Sony with a 12 Mega Pixel sensor appeared to have a little more fragmentation. The new camera has a 16 Mega Pixel sensor which would explain this difference. The following are stills captured directly from the video and scaled and cropped to fit, but without modifying colour or sharpness. (Some detail is lost in scaling down)

Video Still: Original Sony Action Cam HDR-AS15

Video Still: New Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V

Video Still: Original Sony Action Cam HDR-AS15

Video Still: New Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V

GoPro Hero3 Black and Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V Comparison
The GoPro agent in Australia did not provide a test unit to compare with the Sony, but luckily one of our BNA reviewers was able to lend me a GoPro Hero3 Black. The Hero3 Black was the top GoPro camera but it has just recently been superseded by the Hero3 Black Plus (longer battery life, a smaller unit, and higher quality video capture).

The biggest difference between the cameras is the price: the Sony Action Cam is $349 while the GoPro Hero3 Black was $489 and the new Hero3 ‘Plus’ model is $549. As the market leaders, GoPro packs an impressive array of features into their cameras, but are they worth the extra cost?

The direct comparison between the two cameras shows that the Sony footage is a little darker with less saturation. The GoPro appeared to be better with the contrast low light and shadow sections, but in bright sections the Sony appeared better. The colour saturated footage of the GoPro has the wow factor, similar to the original Sony Action Cam footage. While the SteadyShot option of the Sony improves footage where there is a lot of vibration, for smooth sections the Steadyshot was a slight disadvantage for picture clarity.

Do you or don’t you?The new Sony Action Cam is coming of age and they have improved on the deficits of the original camera. Although the colour saturation of the video is natural, the artistic effect of a more saturated video from the Sony Action Cam’s predecessor and competing brands could be a deciding factor. The maximimum video resolution of 1080p at 60 fps puts it on par with the more expensive GoPro Hero3 Silver Plus. In my brief testing, GoPro appear to have solved the fogging issue of the waterproof casing better than the Sony, but with the anti-fog pads fogging is eliminated.

Sony have superior menu navigation and camera operation, including via the waterproof case. GoPro are boasting an even smaller unit in the Hero3 Plus edition although these are two different shaped and sized cameras, so it will also come down to personal preference. If you are a Steven Spielberg and higher video resolution is important, then the Sony may not be the right camera, but in price bracket of $349 this is a well known and reliable brand that ticks a lot of boxes with the new Sony Action Camera.

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/a-new-point-of-view-sony-action-cam-hdr-as30v-bike-camera/feed/6Watching me, watching you – BlackVue Sport SC500 Action Camerahttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/review-pittasoft-blackvue-sc500-sport-action-camera/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/review-pittasoft-blackvue-sc500-sport-action-camera/#commentsMon, 03 Feb 2014 01:49:24 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=9809For cyclists, the advantage of a sports action camera can be twofold: they allow you to capture and share radical footage and, increasingly, they offer cyclists a type of insurance in the unfortunate event of an accident. You will rarely spot me cycling without a camera and I have been able to capture naughty motorists who have almost knocked me off (despite cycling defensively and courteously), as well as stunning video from mountain bike and road cycling trips.

The BlackVue Sport is a brand new contender in the sports action camera market. BlackVue is a brand from the Korean company Pittasoft who have already made a name for themselves with car dash cams and are now seeking to expand. The BlackVue car dash cams have a tubular format but, for the BlackVue Sport, they have opted instead for the GoPro ‘block’ style format and, before it hits the market, Bicycles Network Australia was invited to review a preview model.

The BlackVue Sport SC500 features full HD recording with 1920x1080p viewing resolution and up to 60 frames per second. It relies on a Sony Exmor 12 mega pixel sensor which are renowned for the quality of video with low light conditions. Sony are, incidentally, now using their new 16 mega pixel version of this sensor in their own cameras.

The SC500 package includes the camera, an outer-shell (frame mount), adhesive pads, battery, cable and two mounts. The mounts are GoPro compatible and, even better, the camera comes with an additional a camera screw thread mount (1/4-20 UNC) which means it will fit on a standard tripod to provide more creative mounting options.

The camera itself is supplied with a lens cap, something which many of the big name action cam brands neglect. This means that it can be more safely transported, although I admit that I misplaced the lens cap a number of times. The main camera unit itself is light, compact and attractive.

When the camera is recording there is a flashing red light on both the top and front of the unit, which is really handy, and small blue lights on the front signal the current camera mode (video, photo, or high speed), as well as whether WiFi is on, so there is no guessing or deciphering cryptic symbols or flashes for this basic information.

The most immediately obvious feature of this action camera is its LCD display, which adds 1 centimeter to the size of the unit. The LCD screen can be turned on and off independently of the camera, so it doesn’t need to be on while recording, but it does provide visual information for using the menus and adjusting settings to allow your ‘shot’ to be nicely set up. The icons on the display are quite small and there is a slight learning curve although, on-the-whole, operating the camera is fairly intuitive and in most cases it will be ‘set and forget’.

I was happy with the camera’s default settings which use the highest video resolution (1080p) and was well suited for cycling. The high-speed recording may be of interest for fast action footage with 120 frames per second, although the maximum video resolution drops to 720p (i.e. HD, which is 1280 x 720 pixels). The still-photo resolution is a whopping 4000×3000 pixels, however the photo function doesn’t seem to make sense on the bike.

While the weight of the LCD screen is negligible, and both the frame mount and the waterproof mount accommodate the LCD display, the screen is actually removable. For some sports a display screen may be convenient, but for cycling it isn’t necessary, especially when the screen’s functionality is accessible via a smart phone (iPhone or Android). This means the camera can be mounted in a waterproof case or on an unreachable part of the bike, and still be controlled effectively if your phone is mounted on your bar or stem.

A completely removable plastic cover on the side of the camera reveals USB and HDMI ports (the USB cable is provided) and a slot for a Micro SD card. As this cover wasn’t hinged, it was easy to misplace. Even with the camera in the frame mount there is access to this door and I suspect that if it isn’t put snugly into place, it could potentially fall off. It is not a deal-breaker, but there is room for improvement.

For this review I recorded using a quality SanDisk Mobile Ultra 16GB HC memory card. This is a ‘class 10′ card which, in broad terms, has the fastest data transfer rate and is best suited to recording full HD. If you are planning to film at full HD (1920 x 1080) avoid SD cards with a lower class (eg, 6, 4 or 2). Although they will be cheaper, they are also progressively slower and may have trouble keeping up (and cause problems in the video or stop recording). To make it a little more complex, there are also UHS (Ultra High Speed) cards which are faster still and each brand has different names and configurations, so stick with a quality brand, ensure it is Class 10, and no more than 32 MB (as spec’d by BlackVue).

Having used my Micro SD card in other sports action cameras, I needed to first format it before the BlackVue would recognise the card. I didn’t spot a format option in the ‘on-camera’ settings, however the smartphone app provides this function.

With the review unit a frame mount for the camera was provided; a robust rubberised exoskeleton that allows the camera to be mounted on your bike. The mount, however, is not waterproof and a clear plastic waterproof hardcase was not available for review. The frame mount was straight forward to use and the camera fit securely, with cutouts on the top for the microphone and on the side for cable and SD card access. Inside this frame mount, the camera buttons can still be operated (they are little tougher) and with easy cable and SD card access the camera could remain permanently inside this case if this was your preferred mounting option.

Actually, I felt quite uncomfortable removing the camera from the frame mount. To do so I had to press against the LCD screen and apply enough pressure to push the camera unit out of mount. It just doesn’t seem right pressing that hard against an LCD screen, for fear of permanently damaging the electronics. When using the camera on the bike, the BlackVue smart phone app provides access to all of the settings (more on this soon) and lets you see what the camera can see which suggests that this LCD screen is superfluous.

Mounting OptionsThe BlackVue comes with adhesive patches so that you can mount the camera to your helmet however, for cycling, I prefer a bike mounted camera, so I simply ignored the mounts provided.

Mounting on a bike means there are more bumps and vibration passed to the camera, so to avoid “rolling shutter” (that nasty Jello effect) you need to minimise the vibration, and the best way is to throw away your plastic mounts and go for an alumnium mount such as the K-Edge GoBig which I use exclusively for all sports camera mounting specifically for this reason.

Mounting is straight forward though and, even though the frame mount is very secure, the LCD display is exposed, so I was conscious of my gear cables coming into contact with this and was careful to prevent knocking or touching the lens. I couldn’t take the detachable LCD screen off because the camera unit would then move about in the frame mount.

Watching You, Watching MeDespite the details and specifications, it is the video quality that counts. This short two and a half minute video combines different sequences and provides a comparison between different weather conditions (sunny verses overcast), as well as different road surfaces. Note: YouTube have compressed this 1080p Full HD footage.

In bright conditions, the colours are saturated, though not so much that the video appears too gaudy. The Sony image sensor does a really good job of providing sufficient contrast when there are shadows and bright areas. The following images are resized screenshots from the video.

The solar flare effect when pointing at the sun was softer than on other cameras I have used (remember this doesn’t have a waterproof case) although there was often a strong pink tint. In the following video still the road surface reveals pink and green tones as the camera tries to quickly adapt to the light.

In low light with clouds, the image darkened to compensate and at times the entire image felt rather dark and moody, however the overall visibility and distinguishing features was generally very good. Against a brighter sky, the dark and shaded areas lose detail, though in comparison my older GoPro Hero1 has grainy video with a lower resolution and the darker areas are usually black.

The sharpness and detail of the image was very good and only during fast light changes, such as riding beneath trees or in very low light conditions, was this image sharpness affected with pixelation/fragmentation of the image briefly visible.

Rolling shutter (in which the video has a jello effect because of rapid movement) was an issue with the BlackVue. Although this is generally eliminated with the K-Edge GoBig mount, the camera’s frame mount is responsible for allowing additional vibration and flex to distort the image. The frame mount uses a flexible rubberised material (with in-molded stiffer plastic for the mounting bracket) and because of this flex it means there is more movement in comparison to a solid waterproof case.

I compared sequences from the BlackVue with the worst rolling shutter problem to footage from the same stretches of road shot using other other cameras – all of the other cameras have hard waterproof covers and, as a result, had less or no rolling shutter in the same sections.

With this in mind, the waterproof case would be necessary for mountain biking and preferable for road cycling. In addition, it reduces the risk of water damage if there is a sudden shower or water obstacles. That said, a sealed waterproof case can introduce a new problem of fogging (as the camera heats up while sealed) which likewise needs to eliminated.

It’s all in the detailThe ability to distinguish number plates was dependent on the light conditions, how far away the vehicle was, and the speed of the vehicle. Reading the number plates of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction was difficult, however the number plates you are more interested in recognising are usually from vehicles who pass too closely or are directly in your path.

To test this in practice I chose a number of brighter and darker instances where a car was close enough and in each case the video detail was clear enough to relatively quickly identify the numbers and letters. Sometimes a bit of scrubbing (manually moving forward and backwards in the video) was necessary to be confident of a correct plate.

The viewing angle for the BlackVue Sport is 157° – in between the 120° and 170° viewing angle options common on action cams. While there is curvature of the footage, which is completely normal, the resulting video was natural and well proportioned.

How it all adds up
With the Class 10 16GB Micro SD card onboard and filming at the highest video resolution of 1080p (1920×1080), I would get between 75 – 82 minutes recording time before the battery ran flat. This would amount to footage of 9 – 11 GB in size and split into 1.99GB MP4 video files.

Before you say ‘hang on’, the company claims 2 hours runtime at 1080p and 30 fps, I have already spoken with Pittasoft who make the BlackVue and for pre-production models, such as the one I have for review, some of the performance targets aren’t yet met; they are aware and working on this to ensure that they can reach these targets when it goes to market.

I continued testing run-time however, while the WiFi and LCD screen were off, to try and get a longer battery life. When I removed the LCD completely I could increase battery life to 96 minutes. The battery life on this pre-release model is comparable to my old GoPro Hero 1. The new GoPro Hero 3 Black Plus has an updated battery which increases the run-time from 90 minutes to (a claimed) 2 hours. The Sony Action Cam which I currently have in review comfortably gets 110 minutes, so a 2 hour battery life for 1080p filming would put the BlackVue in the same ballpark.

Wireless AccessThis isn’t a complicated camera to use, and it isn’t packed full of useless settings, so WiFi connectivity is a big feature and BlackVue deliver it with an iPhone and Android compatible app.

In short, the Wifi functionality was just as difficult to setup as I have experienced with other camera’s and suffered from the same WiFi instability – but when it was running properly it offered even more features than available operating via the LCD display and enabled you to view the video live and access the files.

Having proceeded with the WiFi setup of this camera, for the benefit of owners I am including key details and new information (not available online or in the manual) that enabled me to connect. When this camera goes to market it it likely that some of these may be resolved / updated so simply skip to the next section if this isn’t relevant.

Connecting to BlackVue… The Missing LinkThe manual provides some information how to create a WiFi connection and I eventually succeeded with trial and error as well as direct feedback from Pittasoft.

1. If your app crashes when trying to connect, old firmware is the most likely problem. Download and install the new firmware for the camera. The firmware.bin file needs to be copied onto the camera memory card and the camera needs to be turned off and then on. The camera should then ask you (on the LCD display) if you wish to proceed and install the new firmware.

2. Disconnect your smart phone from any existing wireless network and connect to the SC500-XXXXX network. If you have previously experienced a crashing app, first chose ‘forget this network’ (on the iPhone) and then reconnect.

3. The password to connect is “blackvue” in lowercase, and not uppercase as stated in the manual.

4. Download the latest BlackVue app and, in theory, you should be able to connect and use the app.
In use, the wireless connection would sometimes remain stable while at other times it would drop out frequently, even when the smartphone was right next to the camera. I did have a bit of wireless noise with various devices which may have caused problems.

Coming Soon…The BlackVue is a good sports video camera; the everyday cyclist would benefit if there was a version without the LCD screen and with a compact waterproof case. I was very happy with the level of detail and quality of the footage. For extreme action footage, such as downhill MTB and big jump, this is a very competitive camera that will deliver stunning footage when it is setup well.

I can say this with one reservation: the price has not yet been released, nor has the release date for the camera been confirmed. Pittasoft say that they are working to ensure that it is 100% when it goes to market. If the price is competitive against the other big market players such as GoPro, Drift, Contour, and Sony, and Pittasoft can get good distribution to Aussie retailers, then this will be a winner. And if they can provide a slim waterproof mount, then it will be an excellent lightweight, high quality camera for cyclists.

Until then, further details of the camera are online at www.blackvuesport.com and I will provide an update when this camera is released.

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/02/review-pittasoft-blackvue-sc500-sport-action-camera/feed/0How Good is the Sony Action Cam for Capturing Video on a Bike?http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/12/how-good-sony-action-cam-capturing-video-bike/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/12/how-good-sony-action-cam-capturing-video-bike/#commentsWed, 12 Dec 2012 23:14:05 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=7349Sony releasing a sports action camera? That really caught my attention when I read it on the BNA Forums. A lot of relatively unknown companies have tried to get into the not-so-niche-anymore sports action and extreme camera sector, but they usually just follow, or fall in the wake of, the market leader GoPro. Sony are not just any brand, they are veterans and pioneers in the digital world; I got my first Sony digital camera in the late 90’s and not long after a Sony DV camcorder, both of which were reliable products at a fair price. If Sony were getting into this new market, things were about to change.

In releasing their first action cam, Sony build on their strong background and their ability to innovate. Shortly after their new Action Cam was launched in Australia, I was able to secure a unit for reviewing on Bicycles Network Australia. As you read this review, you shouldn’t be surprised that GoPro are referred to frequently. They essentially created the market of relatively affordable cameras that are compact, simple to use and extremely durable – they’re the benchmark. With that in mind, let’s have a good look at this new contender.

The Sony Action Cam as a Bike Camera
BNA is a bike site, so we are looking at this camera specifically for cycling. To me, cycling means both on road and off-road, vibrations and bumps, camera mounted on the head, the forks, the stem and the handlebars – everywhere you are most likely to use and mount the camera. It comes with a durable waterproof case, so I was encouraged to get it wet as well. Slow moving footage and fluid video? No way! – fast moving footage with bumps and shakes; I wanted to put the camera to the test.

The Action Cam Close Up
The Sony Action Cam, without the case, is light and compact. Unfortunately, the camera doesn’t stand up on its base; when it’s on your desk, it lies on its side. Since the lens can’t be rotated like a Contour camera, it means that the Sony camera is really only practical for filming while mounted or in the waterproof case.

Lying on its side, the base of the camera is accessible and has a door which conceals a USB port, microphone port, HDMI jack, an ‘expansion connector’ and a light to show charging. I only used the USB port which let me charge the camera and mount the camera onto my computer to transfer files, though there was no simultaneous charging and mounting.

The battery and memory card are accessed from the rear of the unit and are quite straight forward. Out of the box, the camera comes with two batteries, a 4GB SD Memory card, desktop charger and universal mount adapter. The camera I reviewed (the HDR-AS15K) had an microSD 8GB memory card which extended my recording time, at the highest resolution, from 30 minutes to just over 60 minutes.

Camera Navigation and Control
The Action Cam presents the budding film maker with three buttons: next and prev are on the side, situated close to an LED screen; and the record button is on the rear. The tactile feedback of the buttons and knowing that a button has been pressed is reassuring. The three buttons offer a slight edge in navigation over two button cameras, but still require a bit of learning to navigate into menus, change settings and navigate back. The LED on screen info was quite intuitive for the main settings and functions.

The manual for the camera comes as a large sheet of paper with a schematic diagram of the menu and function structure. Truth be told, it’s pretty scary. While you can still try to learn intuitively, to get the most out of the camera and all of its settings, it is worth reviewing.

Waterproof Case and Mounting
Sports action cameras owe a lot of their appeal to their durable waterproof cases. On a bike you can’t always guarantee dry weather, so waterproofing makes sense and further, it protects the camera from dust and knocks. The Sony waterproof case feels tough and durable. It has a rather clever latch for the front door (and lens cover) that opens and closes easily and provides a good seal. The front cover isn’t hinged, rather it’s connected to the main housing with a thin plastic strip which I found detached itself at times. It was a shock the first time it happened as I am particularly careful in protecting the lenses from scratches and dust. When the camera is inside the waterproof case, you are limited to only the record button to control the camera, so you have to remove it if you want to change settings ,or use a smart phone to connect wirelessly.

The waterproof case accommodates a screw in clip that can be clipped onto adhesive mounts. For biking, I completely avoid this type of mount and relied instead on the Sony handlebar mount which can be purchased separately. This mount comes with different sized rubber inserts to accommodate different handlebar diameters and screws tightly with an allen key. The camera can then be attached and screwed on with the integrated ‘screw wheel’ which is reliable and tight.

Once in place, the Sony handlebar mount can be tilted or, by loosening the screw wheel, the camera can be reversed and easily tightened by hand. The handlebar mount has the camera on top of the handlebars, which this is fine for commuting or road cycling, but on the mountain bike I like to keep the top of the handlebars free of any electronic equipment that can be damaged if I take a tumble. As such I mounted the handlebar mount (and therefore the camera) up-side-down, though the allen key screw is tougher to reach from underneath between the gear and brake cables. If there is a tumble, however, the camera is better protected, plus it’s ‘out of the way’ for normal riding.

It is worth noting that the Bike handlebar mount works exceptionally well, it is sturdy and doesn’t seem to suffer from flex and vibration that other brand mounts tend to exhibit. It would be possible to use this as a generic mount for any camera’s that have camera screw on the base, though worth testing to ensure it fastens securely.

An alternative mount is the head mount accessory which is purchased separately. For this mount the waterproof case is not used, which makes it a conveniently light camera, lighter than many other action cameras. It doesn’t, however, work with a normal bike helmet, so on the bike the head mount is only practical with a full face helmet or a skater type helmet.

Because the waterproof camera case accepts a camera screw for mounting, it opens up creative possibilities for DIY mounts and 3rd party mounts to get different angles. That said, the camera prefers to film upright as the lens can’t be rotated, although most video editing software can rotate the footage to compensate. While the shape of Sony Action Cam means that it mounts well with the handlebar and head mount, it isn’t well suited to a chest mount.

Wifi Connection
Connecting wirelessly to a camera via a smart phone is a must these days, and the Sony Action Cam can be used with Sony’s PlayMemories app, which is available for iPhone, iPad and Android. The setup, however, is difficult and after following the instructions that were provided to my by Sony, I headed online and with the help of Google found instructions that guided me through the Wifi setup.

The app is wonderful when it works. I set it up on my iPhone and after pairing my phone and the camera, and connecting to the wireless network of the Sony camera, I could see live video from the viewfinder. The interface allows you to switch between video and photo mode and record directly. Setting the shot via the smart phone is incredibly handy as is the ability to start and stop recording.

From within the app the field of vision can be changed between 120° and 170°, the resolution/frame rate changed, and steady shot video stabilisation toggled on or off. Because the smart phone interface is so much bigger it would be a real advantage to able to adjust all of the camera settings from the app. In using the app, however, I had frequent problems; often the camera wouldn’t appear or would drop out so I couldn’t connect. Even with my phone next to the camera there were frequent connection stability problems to the point of having a serious lag when pressing record; at times the camera never got the message.

When I asked Sony about this they informed me that the PlayMemories App has been updated and this has been resolved. By this time, however, I no longer had the camera to be able to test and confirm.

Sound, Camera and Action
Many of the camera tests comparing the Sony Action Cam with other brands, such as the GoPro Hero and Contour, compare stationary or slow, hand held footage. Cycling is tougher on the cameras; not only is there faster movement, there are also bumps and vibration that make it challenging for any camera to record clean footage. For testing, I was joined by John Hawkins to mountain bike on sandy and rocky Sydney trails. We choose a bright sunny day to test the Sony. Filming at 1920×1080 resolution, the quality of the footage was influenced by the amount of sudden movements, speed and detail of the surroundings. The higher the speed, the more bumps and movement, and the more detailed the surroundings, the less detailed the footage was. All action cameras in this market segment have the same limitations.

The Sony Action Cam, with Sony’s “Steady Shot” technology, has noticeably improved stability, creating a much smoother video. In comparing this directly with the GoPro Hero2, the Sony footage also showed more detail. While both cameras operated well with sun and shadow contrasts, the Sony footage was noticeably paler in colour than the Hero2.

In the moving footage, the Sony was more detailed and had a higher contrast, while the freeze framed footage was softer and more attractive on the GoPro. The Sony didn’t deal with direct sunlight as well as the GoPro, being more susceptible to lens flare and less accurate light balance.

The ability to change the field of vision to from 120° to 170° is nice and when mounted on the handlebars, I preferred the wider angle. The Sony footage has less fish eye lens distortion compared with the GoPro Hero2 (though the Hero3 probably reduces this).

During filming, the GoPro Hero2 camera heated up and the inside of the casing started to fog relatively quickly while the Sony resisted this, even though the Action Cam recorded for longer during our testing. The GoPro importer suggest that their recently released GoPro Hero3 (Silver) would provide a better comparison, however they were not available for testing.

The Sony was a little “louder” during our filming; though it fits snugly in the waterproof case, it seems seems to have some room to play, so some padding inside the case would probably eliminate movement and noise.

The handlebar mount from Sony was the best branded handlebar mount I have tested. It was constructed to be solid and stable and reduces micro-vibration that could cause rolling shutter. The chest mounted position for action cams is quite popular as it eliminates the vibration of the bike and movement of the head to provide relatively consistent footage. The shape of the Sony, however, rules out this option, but the camera screw mount makes it more easily adaptable.

Recording Modes and Runtime
Filming at the highest resolution (HQ 1920×1080 at 30fps) gave about 65 minutes recording time which filled the 8GB SD card and also coincided with the battery run time. For 1280×720 at 30fps (STD, standard resolution), I got 140 minutes recording time (6.8 GB) before the battery was empty. The Super Slow (SSLOW) mode records at 1280×720 with 120fps and recorded for about 43 minutes, which gives a playback time at 30fps of about 170 minutes of slow motion footage (albeit with no audio in slow recording modes).

The SLOW mode records at 1280×720 (60fps) and the VGA mode an old fashioned 640×480. This will obviously deliver a much longer runtime (pending battery charge) however, if recording time was an issue, it would be easier to use a second battery and a larger memory card. The battery recharges in about four hours.

It’s a Wrap
Practice makes perfect and it’s a matter of taking the time and testing to see which recording modes and settings work best for your purposes. As its first Action Cam, Sony has done its homework and holds its ground. You will be able to generate quality footage and, while the Sony is not miles ahead of the competition, it doesn’t lag behind.

The general operation of the Sony is good and, if the WiFi issues are resolved as reported in the latest PhotoMemories App update, it then really comes down to personal preference in choosing a sports action camera for biking. With the inbuilt WiFi, the Sony Action Cam beats the GoPro Hero2 on hands down price; the Hero2 requires the additional WifiBack pack (~ $99). On price and specifications the Sony Action Cam competes with the GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition.

The Sony Action Cam is available in most electronics stores and retails for $369. Make sure you’re getting the HDR-AS15K version with WiFi, as there is also a version without WiFi (HDR-AS10) and version without the accessories (HDR-AS15). The Sony camera is being promoted with the Weekend Lives On (WLO) campaign which is a community website where you can upload your awesome footage and photos.

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/12/how-good-sony-action-cam-capturing-video-bike/feed/5iDV MiniHD 1080P Sports Camera Reviewhttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/10/idv-mini-hd-1080p-sports-camera-review/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/10/idv-mini-hd-1080p-sports-camera-review/#commentsMon, 22 Oct 2012 01:36:31 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=6892The point-of-view sports camera marketplace is really hotting up. Until recently it was exclusively the domain of GoPro and Contour, that is if you wanted quality. There are now more usable new entrants arriving each month, all looking to capitalise on this boom; the iDV MiniHD is one of the better ones.

The iDV MiniHD ticks all of the boxes on the “must have” feature list: waterproof casing, 1080p and 720p video capture, accepts up to 32GB flash cards, compact form factor, and competitive weight. The last two items are not weight-weenie nice-to-haves; having a camera on your helmet, for hours on end, on a long bike ride does add to the load on your neck. The smaller and lighter the unit can be, the better. The iDV MiniHD is comparable in weight to the GoPro Hero2, and is only slightly bigger.

In some areas the MiniHD surpasses both the GoPro and the Contour. The unit comes standard with a backlit LCD display screen that enables you to play back footage on the unit and view in real time what the camera is seeing as it shoots. There is also a wrist-mountable remote that can be used to start and stop the camera and take still pictures. I had no issues using this with full-finger mountain bike gloves. This playback and remote control functionality has just recently become available for the GoPro as an extra-cost option.

The iDV MiniHD’s menu system is simple and very easy to navigate on the colour screen, to the point where I really didn’t need to read the manual to be able to get around and understand what each function did. Battery life was good and it easily captured my 90+ minute morning commute-come-training ride at 1080p.

The water housing and camera body both have a standard tripod screw mount. There are ports for HDMI, USB, and an external microphone, although the unit needs to be outside the water housing to get access. A screw-in adaptor is compatible with the GoPro tongue-and-bolt mount fitting, although it is a very tight fit. This allows you to tilt the camera up and down to adjust for helmet angle. Matching this there is a bayonet clip removable base plate which looks like it should be compatible with GoPro stick-on base mounts. Unfortunately, the centre rib is a slightly different size, so disappointingly it doesn’t fit into GoPro base mounts.

The same issue occurs with the bayonet adapter and baseplate as with the GoPro, with a small amount of slop compromising video and sound quality. This should be resolvable exactly the same way, with the application of a layer or two of electricians tape to the base to pack out and damp the free play. I didn’t encounter this issue on test, since I used the Kali Amara helmet with the inbuilt camera mount, which is quite tight on the slide-on rail mount.

Mounting options are a bit limited. The unit comes with the bayonet clip removable baseplate, and two self-adhesive baseplate mounts. Handlebar and stick-on side helmet mounts are optional extras.

So what does the video footage look like? In poor light it marginally exceeded the capability of the GoPro and for normal adventure use the quality was more than adequate. The field of view at 150 degrees is narrower than the 170 degree wide GoPro Hero2 and Contour Roam, but not excessively so. The detail it captured however was not quite to the same standard, so if you are looking to use it as a safety or evidence camera to capture vehicle number plates, this is not the unit for you. Whether this was due to lens or processor I am unsure.

Other compromises were:
• the use of the slightly more lossy MOV file format, which is unsupported by Windows Live Movie Maker
• the power switch is not accessible once you close the casing; it needs to be turned on prior to insertion and the casing clasp is not accessible once the unit is screwed onto the mount (although that may not be a bad thing if you skydive).
• no audible beep to let you know whether pressing the remote or casing buttons has done anything.
• if the unit’s battery charge expires while you are filming, the currently open file is not closed properly and becomes corrupted.

Most of these “niggles” can be worked around with a little planning, however, and purchase of one of the excellent value low-cost video editing packages that are available will yield a better result, regardless of camera used.

If you just want something to capture the experience of weekend rides, ski trips, or surf sessions with mates, this is more than enough camera.

Likes:
Performance for the price is good – less than half the price of the nearest equivalent Contour and GoPro models.
Viewscreen and wrist remote come as part of the standard package
Easy to understand and use menu system
Local support

Dislikes:
Registration plate capture not so good
Power down file save process needs work
Some aspects of operation with water housing need more thought
Beep to indicate button activation non-existent or inaudible

The iDV MiniHD retails for $250 and at the time of publishing is on discount and selling for $199. iDV cameras are available from some sports outlets as well as directly from iDV: www.idv.net.au

]]>http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/10/idv-mini-hd-1080p-sports-camera-review/feed/0Kali Amara Helmet with integrated Camera Mounthttp://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/07/kali-amara-helmet-integrated-camera-mount/
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/07/kali-amara-helmet-integrated-camera-mount/#commentsFri, 27 Jul 2012 14:10:47 +0000http://www.bicycles.net.au/?p=6182Kali Protectives have built a solid reputation overseas for making top quality helmets and protective gear. In addition to cycling helmets, Kali also make moto and snowboarding helmets, so they know a thing or two about protecting your most valuable asset. Their products have only recently become available in Australia with AS2063 certification through the retailer Velogear.

BNA was invited to test Kali Protectives’ Amara helmet. The styling of the Amara (Sanskrit for “immortal”, which is reassuring) follows the trend set by Fox with their Flux helmet, and provides greater protection for the rear of the head by extending down lower than most cross-country and roadie helmets. The weight is at the higher end of the range, coming in at around 350 grams, about 10 grams lighter than my equivalent size Fox Flux.

The front visor is of a break-away design, but is actually not removable. The Amara uses mid-to-high end in-mould technology, where the foam is moulded into the polycarbonate shell so there is no air gap. Kali calls this their “Composite Fusion Technology” and has taken it a step further by using separate polycarbonate bridges and inserts at various points to improve strength. Pleasingly, the outer polycarbonate shell extends all the way to the bottom at the helmet’s rear, leaving no bare foam unsupported at the base of the skull (unlike like many others in the same price bracket).

This helmet is without doubt the most comfortable I’ve used. The previous benchmark was set by a $300+ European roadie helmet, which unfortunately was non-AS compliant and which I did not buy, but which opened my eyes to a comfort standard I have been unable to match until the arrival of the Amara. This high end helmet combined the usual Coolmax + foam cushion strips with an integrated bug net.

The Amara does the same, with the padding and bug net forming a one-piece construction that is easily removed for washing. This may possibly make the helmet a little warmer during the summer months, but an unseasonably warm July mid-20-degree ride last weekend showed that for most conditions these concerns are unlikely to be a problem. Seventeen large vents ensure excellent air flow. Another upside is that I no longer present at work with Darth Maul helmet hair until I can get to the showers.

With the use of adventure helmet cams strongly on the rise, Kali have moulded an integrated mounting rail along the crown of the helmet. Four separate types of mount adapter are included, which will provide coverage for LED torches, “bullet” style cameras, GoPro-compatible cameras, and some types of helmet light.

I tried the Kali Amara with both GoPro and Swann HD helmet cams and found it to offer a significant improvement over the normal strap-on type vented helmet mounts (where it is almost impossible to prevent camera shake and fire cracker-like rattling noise across rough ground). The helmet offers similar mount rigidity to stick-on adhesive mounts, with none of the hassle of trying to find sufficient surface area to ensure the bond is secure. The video results were markedly better than any of my previous attempts with helmet mounted cameras.

In the event of a collision with a tree branch, the adapter will pull free, preventing you from “coathanger-ing” yourself.

The rear adjustment mechanism is identical to the Fox Flux, and provides easy to use and secure adjustment. Coming from the exact same Asian factory, I suppose that is no surprise!

On my particular review helmet there were a couple of small rough spots in the finish, but nothing to detract from the Amara’s function or aesthetics; a casual observer would probably not notice them at all.

I have been looking for a replacement helmet for a while, and after trying on multiple models in 7 or 8 different brands, I was prepared to spend a significantly higher amount to get similar comfort levels to the expensive roadie helmet I liked. I found nothing suitable until the Amara. To get similar results for a spend of under a hundred dollars was outstanding.